Here’s one more teaser before I catch my plane home to Seattle and get back to meatier posts.
This was my second session with Maria and her two boys, Caleb and Liam. Last time I saw them, they were much smaller and Caleb wasn’t feeling nearly as shy! This is just a little snippet of our session in the Olympic Sculpture Park with the boys and their extended family…
Hey folks! Kat’s in LA for the week which means that I get to take over some of the writing duties here on Persimmon Images for a little while. While I’m running the ship I wanted to take the chance to visit with two amazing young ladies who we got to know a bit better through our Giving is Awesome contest in December. It’s therefore my distinct pleasure to introduce you to Therese and Rose, who are now some of our best friends.
Therese is an absolutely amazing single mom who came to Seattle with her daughter all the way from Alaska so that Therese could go through school to become a nurse practitioner. The two of them worked so hard for the last three years to get Therese through school while still making sure that they never lost their special connection. As I’m sure any single parents out there reading this know, it’s not easy having to be a worker, a student, a mother or father, a best friend, and a role model all at once. But Therese packs all of those things into her 5′ 1″ firecracker self and manages to still smile at the end of every day. Since we met her we’ve watched her conquer fears, overcome obstacles, and always be a shining inspiration to her friends and her family.
Rose, just now SEVEN years old, has also been a serious trooper and has stuck by her mom for the last seven years no matter how tough things got. She’s been a source of joy and inspiration to Therese and even an occasional study partner. While some four and five-year olds were getting run-of-the-mill bedtime stories, Rose was happily listening to Therese read aloud from Pathophysiology or Advanced Pharmacology. I have no first hand proof, but I’m pretty sure she snuggled right up with her mom and loved every one of those minutes they were together. Now she’s a wonderful young lady in her own right. She’s brilliant, energetic, compassionate and the kind of girl that any two-parent family would be blessed to have in the house. That Therese has done this on her own is a testament to how hard they both work and how much they love each other (Not to diminish the contributions of all of their extended family who’s helped along the way!)
Watching these two wander through Seattle’s Volunteer Park it was easy to forget they aren’t sisters. They’re that close. Kat and I had the privilege to bring cameras along for a quiet and chilly morning and watch them do their thing as mother and daughter. Throughout the whole shoot we felt absolutely blessed to be a part of their family and we can only hope that someday we have the relationship with our children that Therese and Rose have together.
I hope these pics will always serve as a a reminder to the two of them that together and individually they are beautiful, inspirational, brave and an an amazing team. Here’s to you Therese and Rose! Thanks for letting us be a part of your little something special!
Justin and I wanted to share a bunch more photos from our portrait session with Jess, Jeremy, and Connor this January. This lovely family was the winner of my Giving is Awesome contest in December, referred by Jess’s sister, Mary, who is also an awesome Dallas wedding and portrait photographer.
Jess and I have become good friends since their shoot… she’s crazy, funny, geeky, and altogether someone I can absolutely relate to. Honestly, the grand prize couldn’t have gone to anyone better! These three were nominated for their touching and courageous story: Jess and Jeremy’s little boy, Connor, was born with a rare and serious chromosomal disorder that’s given him all sorts of difficulties. He has sensitive senses (say that 5 times fast!) and isn’t really keen on new things, which posed an interesting challenge for our shoot. I was pretty amused when I introduced myself to him and he signed “No. Don’t like. Go away” to his mom. Bonus points for being assertive, little guy!
We took photos at the Olympic Sculpture Park, which allows for some nice indoor shots in the event of rain and purports to be wheelchair accessible (though the ‘accessible’ path is unpaved and gravel REALLY isn’t wheel-friendly). At the time, Jeremy was in and out of a chair recovering from surgeries he’d had to repair injuries he sustained to his legs from an IED in Afghanistan. But the last time we saw Jer, he’d ditched his chair and crutches for a pimpin’ cane and now I guess he’s pretty much done with that, too! Good thing, ’cause we’re about to do a second mini-session to make up for getting rained out at the end of this one.
Check out the photos below, and be sure to visit Jess’s blog, Connor’s Song, to read her often-entertaining, sometimes-scary posts about their daily adventures.
Just a little taste from Jess, Jer, and Connor’s family portrait shoot earlier this year at the Olympic sculpture park. Full recap coming soon!
